A sorry tale of Jekyll and Hyde

I know it is sort of bad manners to use the term "schizophrenic" in either a pejorative or light-hearted sense, but it aptly sums up the appalling change which comes over my favourite lunchtime restaurant at about six o'clock in the evening.

Then, the hitherto diligent and kindly waitresses at Joe Allen turn into snarling and indolent harridans. They don't physically attack you; they have no intention of interacting with you, professionally or personally.

Why? Is it because the place is crowded with rather smug middleaged theatregoers in the evening, whereas during lunch there are vast open spaces? Or maybe I've just been perennially unlucky.

I love Joe Allen at lunchtime. It does the best Eggs Benedict (with agreeably greasy fried potatoes) outside New Orleans and its blackbean soup is a perfectly adequate meal in itself if you're horribly hungover. They used to do a crab, egg and avocado salad which was, if I remember rightly, to die for. They don't do that any more. Maybe it's because the ingredients have a dated feel to them. These days it would be crab, kim chi and thai basil leaves, or something.

But anyway, lunchtime at Joe Allen remains, for me, the best in London. Maybe it's because the big main courses don't do the business any more that dinner is so disappointing. That and the poor service.

The last time I ate there the pheasant with red cabbage was dry and heavy and the compote of fruit which accompanied it cloying and too sweet. My companion - yep, same one, since you asked - had sea bass in what appeared to be a reduced Thai green curry sauce. It was OK. Maybe it even tasted better because we had to wait nearly an hour and a half for it.

The meal came to £83 which, for two courses and a bottle of wine, is OK. But not much more than that.